Psalm 148 - "I Give You My Heart"

This morning I was woke up with a weather alert on my phone for fog. Thankfully I was able to go back to sleep but first prayed for anyone out on the roads. I prayed for safety for school bus drivers with their precious cargo along with the homeless that are out in the weather. When I woke up, I was drawn to Psalm 148. I read it in different translations and settled in The Passion Translation. I love this Psalm! It is one of the many that direct God's creation to praise His. Yesterday morning on my walk I failed to praise Him for His creation. Instead I was grumbling about the humidity. Shame on me! There is always something to praise Him for in life. No matter what the circumstances, there is reason to praise. Yesterday I posted on Facebook a picture about being thankful for all you have. My friend, June, responded that she thought about being grateful 'when she saw someone sitting along side the road with a broken down car or walking because they have no car.' There is always things to praise God for no matter what. I praise Him for a night with ten hours of sleep and for giving me the opportunity to visit my friend Marion today. I praise Him for the way He will give me safe travels on the crazy roads. I praise Him for my friend Will who took this picture I used to put Scripture on today. It does not take much to find reason to praise Him. I was reading in Matthew Henry's commentary about this Psalm. 

Even in this world, dark and bad as it is, God is praised. The powers of nature, be they ever so strong, so stormy, do what God appoints them, and no more. Those that rebel against God's word, show themselves to be more violent than even the stormy winds, yet they fulfil it. View the surface of the earth, mountains and all hills; from the barren tops of some, and the fruitful tops of others, we may fetch matter for praise. And assuredly creatures which have the powers of reason, ought to employ themselves in praising God. Let all manner of persons praise God. Those of every rank, high and low. Let us show that we are his saints by praising his name continually. He is not only our Creator, but our Redeemer; who made us a people near unto him. We may by "the Horn of his people" understand Christ, whom God has exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour, who is indeed the defence and the praise of all his saints, and will be so for ever. In redemption, that unspeakable glory is displayed, which forms the source of all our hopes and joys. May the Lord pardon us, and teach our hearts to love him more and praise him better.

When I saw this picture Will took, I knew I wanted to use it on my blog. He captured God's creation in a great way. I wish I would have been there to see it in person but pictures are the next best thing. Henry explains how all of God's creation need to praise Him. As I look at this picture, I see the sky praising Him through its beauty. I see the ocean praising Him through its movement. I see the sand praising Him through its sparkling. I see creation praising Him and realize I need to get better at praising Him no matter what is happening in my little world. When we are going through tough times and praise Him, our focus will be on Him instead of ourselves. I love the words of Henry, May the Lord pardon us, and teach our hearts to love him more and praise him better. Amen! That is my prayer. Lord, empower me to praise You more no matter what my circumstances. Woo hoo! These words to "I Give You My Heart" are going through my mind this morning...

This is my desire to honor You
Lord, with all my heart, I worship You
All I have within me, I give You praise
All that I adore is in You

Lord, I give You my heart
I give You my soul, I live for You alone
Every breath that I take, every moment I'm awake
Lord, have Your way in me

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for the beauty of Your creation and for the way Will captured it in this picture! Thank You for loving me so greatly and for the opportunities You gave me yesterday to share Your love! Thank You for Chris, Carrie, and the boys who bless me in abundance! I pray they will find reason to praise You through the 'tough' days they are living. I pray the same for: my Momma; my sisters Linda, Sally, and Mary; Dan; Scott; Pete and Delores; Steve; Ben and Colleen; Melanie; Sharon Sebolt; Gay and Doug; many with COVID; a young man dealing with addiction and another young man in rehab for anger issues; two ladies with career issues; a friend whose uncle is dealing with cancer; a man who was in a motorcycle accident over the weekend; Mike, Alex, and Michele with recent losses in their family; Sandi; and so many others. Lord, I pray each one of these dear people will find reason to praise You today. Thank You for Rickey who encourages me greatly! I pray You will bless him in abundance. Cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. May I shine brightly for You everywhere I go today. Thank You for being The One I Praise! Amen.